Toy hay stacker



2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 11, 1955 INVENTOR 9w ATTORNEY April 17, 1956 w. J. cox

TOY HAY STACKER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 11, 1953 IN VENTOR VV/LL/AM 175250 Cox,

Uni ed st Patent I TOY HAY STACKER William Jared Cox, Woodruif, Utah Application August 11, 1953, Serial N6. 373,637

Claims. (01. 214-143 My invention relates to toys, and oneof its objects is to provide a simple and inexpensive ,toy which simulates a stacker for hay, straw and the like.

Another object of the invention is to provide a toy of this character having swingable fork-carrying beams pivoted to a base with means for checking the upward'swinging of the beams including pairs of links connected between the beams and the base and coacting spring devices which also assist in returning the beams to their lowered positions, the fork-carrying beams being moved upwardly when a child pulls on a suitable flexible line or 'cord and downwardly under the action of the spring devices and gravity when the cord is released.

With the above and other objects and advan'tag es in 'tion hereinafter described and claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings which show the present pre- 'ferred embodiments of the invention.

In the drawings: c

Fig. l is a side view of the toy showing the fork in its lowered position; i

Fig. 2 is a top plan view with the parts in the position shown in Fig.1; I I

Fig. 3 is a' side view showing the fork in its elevated position in which it is stopped by the link connections; and t i Fig. 4 is a detail view showing a modified form of spring means to assist in loweringthe fork.

.R eferring more in detail to the drawings, denotes an elongated base having a rectangular lower portion with an open rectangular upright portion 11 at its rear. The

horizontal portion comprises two parallel sills 12 to rest and slide on a floor or table and connected and spaced apart by a long bolt 13, an intermediate cross bar 14, a rear cross bar 15 and the upright rear portion 11. While .the latter may be variously constructed, it is shown as comprising two posts 16 which rise from the juncture of the bar 15 with the sills and which are connected by upper and lower bars 17 and 18 to provide an open rectangular frame. The bar 18 rests on the bar 15 and is fastened to it by several bolts 18*. The bar 17 has its ends fastened to the rear faces of the posts 16 by bolts 17. The upright frame is braced by inclined braces 16 2 ing preferably disposed in planes substantially at right angles to each other as seen in Fig. l. The teeth may be of various other forms and fastened to the head in other ways. receive the bolts 16 which serve as pivots about which the fork swings.

The fork-carrying beams 19 are operated by a lifting lever disposed centrally and longitudinally of the toy and'having one end formed with a transverse opening to receive the rod or bolt 13 as a pivot. The other end of the lever 25 is connected by two diverging links 26 to the'forward ends of the beams by bolts or other removable pivots as shown. The converging ends of the links 26 are disposed on opposite sides of the lever and are apertured to receive a pivot bolt 27 which extends through an opening in the lever.

around the pulley and has one end fastened to aneye 30 at the center of the fork head. The cord 29 passes from the pulley 28 overa pulley on a block or hanger 32 mounted on a bolt 33 at the center of the upper cross bar 17. From the pulley 32 the pull cord extends swing on their pivots 16.

downwardly around a pulley 35 and then in a horizontal direction as shown in Fig. l so that a child may pull on the free end of the cord to cause the lever 25 to swing about its pivot 13 and the fork-carrying beams 19 to To prevent the lever from shifting longitudinally on the pivot bolt cotter pins may be inserted in holes in the bolt on opposite sides of the leven The pulley 35 is mounted in a block' or hanger removably fastened by a bolt 33 to the center of the rear face of the cross bar 18.

For the purpose of checking the upward swinging movement of the fork-carrying beams '19 when the free end of the cord is pulled and of ensuring the lowering of the fork when the cord is released, I provide on each side of the toy a pair of check links 42 and 43, and cowhich have their upper ends connected to the inner faces acting spring means which may take the form shown in Figs. 1 and 3 or the form shown in Fig. 4. The links of each pair are connected together at one end by a transverse pivot bolt 45; and on each side of the toy the front links 42 are composed of two sections with one on each side of the coacting rear link 43. The other or rear ends of the links 43 are removably pivoted to the base by mounting them on the pivot bolts 16* located near the upper ends of the posts 16 so that the long rear links43 will overlie the beams 19 when the fork is lowered as seen in Fig. 2. The other ends of the short front twosection links 42 are, on each side of the toy, disposed on opposite sides of the beam 19 and are removably pivoted thereto by a bolt 47 located on an intermediate portion of the beam 19. As the fork-carrying beams swing upwardly, as in Fig. 3, the check links move toward each other and put under tension spring means which not only assists in checking the upward movement of the fork but ,tend to start it in a downward direction when the pull cord is released. As shown in Figs. 1 and 3 this spring means is associated with the links on each side of the toy and consists of a bolt 49 slidable in an opening 50 in the link 43. The opening is at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the link so that when the links 42 and 43 are at I an acute angle as shown in Fig. 3, the bolt will be subare preferably of wood and detachably fastened together I by screws, bolts or other removable fastenings, as are the head 51 enters between them. It will be seen that when the check links approach the acute angle shown in Fig. 3 the spring 53 will be put under compression to check the movement of the links toward each other and hence check the upward movement of the fork. It will also be seen The rear ends of the beams 19 are apertured to At the extremity of the lever is: i a pulley block 28. An operating line or cord 29 passes that whenthe cord 29 is released the compressed springs 'of the two check devices will tend to start the beams 19 is anchored to a screw or bolt 55 in the adjacent sill 12..

These springs will be put undertension as the links approach their acute. angle position and will assist in checking the upward movement of the fork and aiso assist in starting it downwardly.

In using the toy a child may pusn it forwardly on the sills to cause the lowered fork to enter a pile of hay or straw, and the cord may then be pulled to lift the load on the fork. it the cord is pulled slowly the load will slide off of the fork close to the rear of the base it? when the position shown in Fig. 3 is reached, but it the cord is given a fast pull the load will be thrown further to the rear when the movement'of the beams is checked by the action of the connected links and associated springs. It will be noted that the parts of the toy are detachably connected by wood screws and by threaded bolts and nuts, so that, if desired, thetoy may be sold knock-down or as a kit, the parts being then assembled by a child.

From the foregoing, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, ti .will be seen that novel and adj vantageous provision has been made for carrying out the objects of the invention, and while preferences have been disclosed, attention is invited to the possibility of making variations within the scope of the invention as claimed.

I claim:

l.' A toy hay stacker comprising a pair of fork-carry-' ing beams pivoted to a base for vertical swinging, a lifting lever on the base linked to said beams, pull cord means for moving'said lever and elevating said beams,

a pair of pivotally connected and angularly related check ciated beam, said check links of each pair being moved to acute angled positions when said beams are elevated,

and spring means associated with said pairs of links to assist in checking the upward movement of said beams and to assist in returning said beams to lowered positions when the pull cord means is released.

2. The structure of claim 1 in which each of said spring means includes a spring cheek device mounted on one link and acting against the other link of the pair.

The structure of claim 1 in which each of said spring means includes a coil spring and a supporting element therefore slidably mounted on one link, the spring sills and an upright rear portion, a pair of laterally front end of therear link and pivotally connected thereto,

thelower ends of the front links being disposed on opposite sides of one of said beams and pivotally connected thereto, the rear end of said rear link being pivotally connected to .theupright rear portion of the base, said rear link having adjacent its front end a centrally disposed and forwardly inclined opening, a .bolt slidable in said opening and having a head of a size to enter between the spaced front links when the rear and front links swing on their pivotal connection to acute angle po sitions, a washer on said bolt beneath its head andof a size to engage said front links when said bolt head is between them, a coil spring on said bolt between said washer and said rear link and a stop nut on the other end 1 of said bolt and thrust against one side of the rear link by the action of said spring.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Richey Nov. 24, 1953 

